Near Life Experience

After my experience this evening, I'm nearer to life than death. Else I wouldn't be writing this blog.

And before I go on - a BIG SHOUT OUT to God, my guardian angel, and maybe even Joanne for looking out for me this evening. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am forever blessed and grateful for being alive. As I write this account, I'm a little teary-eyed.

This evening's activity had me trekking to George and Allison's house as a "good-bye" party for them before they leave off for Alaska. I had all my accoutrements with me: wine, beer brats, and a goody bag with Fix-A-Flat, gum, candy, crosswords, pencils, and trail mix for the 4400 mile excursion to Anchorage.

I was already tired. Fridays sees me wiped out these days, and coupled with poor sleeping habits, making this trip was calling for every ounce of my being to be driving on MoPac enduring the idiot drivers who felt compelled to cut me off in the fast lane.

I make it past Southwest Parkway and am in Bee Cave. I pass Hwy 620, and I'm getting into rural driving. There are a scattering of cars on Hwy 71, but it's not too bad. It's a curvy, windy road that for me takes concentration. So I'm grateful that the sun is setting finally so that it's not a burning globe in my eyes.

Hwy 71 is a four-lane highway separated by a double yellow line. And it's when I'm in this windy portion of the highway where cars are zooming at you as fast as you are going, when I see it. A white Ford Mustang crossing over the yellow lines into oncoming traffic - my 2 lanes. And I've got an older Ford pickup truck that has ladders and construction paraphernalia in it in my right lane slightly ahead of me. The mustang comes straight for us and it's surreal. I cannot even think anything other than - it's.going.to.hit.me. FAST. Well, the truck dodges the mustang by going off into the gravelly shoulder. Imagine 2 cars going one way, and the other comes right between you down the white lane. I veer off into the left lane make a curve around the mustang. Thankfully, the oncoming cars were a ways down from us. As the mustang comes between me and the Ford pickup, he over-corrects and is literally coming straight at me towards my right passenger wheel base. All I can think of is that I'm going to get hit, I'm going to go round and round and be headed right for oncoming traffic making a 360 degree circle at a very high speed. Amazingly, the mustang misses me (God only knows by how many inches). I correct myself back into the left lane that I need to be in, and I glance in the rearview to see the mustang doing a 180 turn and is now facing his traffic.

And all of us - the Lexus in front of me, the Ford pickup, as well as the Explorer behind me - ALL KEEP ON GOING. At this point, I've called James and I've gone into shock. I can't hardly speak to him, I'm shaking, my heart is in my throat, and I want to cry but need to concentrate on driving. I begin to get nauseous. It all happened so sudden, so fast, in an instant it was over and done with. I continued on like nothing had happened.

But something had happened. I'm still alive.

Thank you God.